Trip reports

A DAY BIRDING ON THE NORTH WALES COAST

Saturday, 9 February 2008

The large shore-side car park adjacent to Abergele/Pensarn railway station looked like an ideal spot from which to scan the beach in search of snow buntings which had been reported on this site. Unfortunately the bright sunny morning had brought out the dog-walkers in abundance and the snow buntings had fled to somewhere quieter. However, those members with telescopes trained them on the sea and helped our party to see several rafts of at least 100 common scoter. A small group of turnstones were seen feeding by the sea's edge. At the back of the shingle & sand beach, in the rough grassy areas at the foot of the seawall, were pied wagtails and parties of goldfinch and greenfinch feeding. Skylarks joined them then flew up and called overhead. A flock of flighty linnets took up at our approach.

From the promenade car park at Llanfairfechan, we had good views of red-throated divers; one observer estimated 20+ in the bay. There were red-breasted mergansers and at least six great crested grebes. As we walked along the promenade, razorbills and guillemots flew by and a single eider rested on a calm sea with greater black-backed, herring and black-headed gulls.

The Traeth Lafan Local Nature Reserve, an area of partially flooded grazing, provided us with a dense flock of 100+ curlew and oystercatchers. There were teal & wigeon on the wet rushy area. It was a nice surprise when a little egret dropped in.

At RSPB Conwy, where we enjoyed refreshments, we watched a pair of reed buntings, jackdaws, a little grebe, common gull and heron from behind a screen hide.

By the River Conwy there are areas of mud on which we found a flock of redshank, also an expanse of marshland divided up by muddy channels, which we searched for the elusive winter plumaged water pipit. Eventually we all managed a view of it in a game of "now you see it, now you don't!"

At Kimnel we visited a piece of neglected scrubby land on an industrial estate known to be frequented by short-eared owls. As we arrived a short-eared owl wafted over the land on silent wings like a great moth, so intent that it seemed oblivious of us. Its wingspan seemed enormous (according to Collins about one metre). Finally it came to rest in a dead tree, the magnificent owl watched us watching him. Only the clicking of cameras disturbed the evening's peace.

This report is representative of the twice monthly trips organised by Wigan RSPB Local Group. For details of forthcoming trips, which are open to all, please see the events page on this web site.

Photograph: The actual Short-eared owl seen. (Photo by D W Johnson)